Process for Producing Carbon-Containing Ceramic Components

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a process for manufacturing carbon-containing ceramic components with complex 2D or 3D macrostructures. The method involves producing an aqueous suspension (slip) that contains a graphitizable carbon source, granular oxides and/or non-oxides, and an alginate-based gelling agent. The slip is formed into the desired shape within a hardening solution containing metal cations, gelled, dried, and heat-treated to create robust, porous ceramic components. These components are especially suitable for use where high surface area and mechanical stability are required.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Filtration of fluids (e.g., industrial liquid or gas filters) including filtration of molten metals such as steel or aluminum.
• As catalyst supports or direct catalysts for chemical processes requiring large surface areas.
• Heat exchangers or heat-transfer materials due to their controlled porosity and thermal properties.
• Porous components in environmental engineering (air/water purification).
• Specialized ceramic components in high-temperature processing or metallurgy industries.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables production of strong, porous ceramic materials with tailored macrostructures and improved mechanical properties compared to conventional methods.
• Allows customizable, reproducible, and complex 2D/3D geometries through a continuous or semi-continuous process.
• Utilizes environmentally friendly, non-toxic alginates as gelling agents instead of harmful chemicals.
• Compatible with a wide range of ceramic and carbonaceous raw materials, offering flexibility in component design and function.
• Improved filter and catalyst performance due to high surface area and open, controllable porosity.
• Better thermal shock and corrosion resistance, enhancing component longevity in demanding applications.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to the production of carbon-containing ceramic components with a macrostructure. According to the invention, an aqueous slip which is made of a carbon-carrier that can subsequently be graphitized and of at least one type of granular oxide and/or granular non-oxide and which contains a gelling means is conveyed, for gelling, into an aqueous hardener solution with at least 0.05 % by weight of metal cations, and therein is moulded to give a 2- or 3-dimensional component, where the aqueous slip contains, as gelling means, an alginate with a proportion of from 0.1 to 5 % by weight of the solids content of the aqueous slip. Because the resultant components have a large surface area they can, if the material used is appropriate, be used for filtering fluids, or as catalyst or catalyst support in the form of heat-transfer materials.